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27 February 2025
Montana man convicted in cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracyRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A Montana man was found guilty of a cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Randall V. Rule, 73, formerly of Kalispell, Montana, was found guilty by a jury on all counts following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on February 26, 2025.
“We will not stand by as our citizens are victimized by financial crimes and their life savings are stolen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney McGlothin. “We will aggressively pursue cases against scammers and against those who facilitate their crimes by laundering the criminal proceeds.”
“The U.S. Secret Service extends our appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Texas, for their efforts and partnership in this case,” said Resident Agent in Charge Brad Schley. “This case culminates the work of a great team of investigators and prosecutors that works tirelessly to protect the financial infrastructure of the United States.”
On November 16, 2022, Rule and Gregory C. Nysewander, formerly of Irmo, South Carolina, were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, charging them with money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and a conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act.
According to the indictment, Rule and Nysewander were alleged to have conspired with others to launder the proceeds of wire fraud and mail fraud schemes through cryptocurrency. The defendants converted funds from romance scams, business email compromises, real estate scams, and other fraudulent schemes into cryptocurrency and sent the cryptocurrency to accounts controlled by foreign and domestic co-conspirators. The defendants and their co-conspirators made false representations and concealed material facts, in order to avoid discovery of the fraudulent nature of deposits, wires, and transfers, such as providing instructions to co-conspirators and victims to label wire transfers as “loan repayments” and “advertising.” The defendants also made false representations and concealed material facts when completing account opening documents and when communicating with financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges. During the course of the conspiracy, Rule, Nysewander, and their co-conspirators laundered more than $2.4 million. Rule and Nysewander were also charged with willfully violating the money services business requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act.
At sentencing, Rule faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each money laundering charge and up to 5 years in federal prison on the conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act charge. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This effort is part of Operation Crypto Runner, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys D. Ryan Locker, Dustin Farahnak, and Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld.
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Monongalia County Man Admits to Failing to Report to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – James Mansfield Davis, 68, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to failing to surrender for a federal sentence.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis failed to report to federal prison for an 82-month sentence for a child pornography charge in the Northern District of West Virginia. Davis didn’t report to prison and was ultimately arrested on October 15, 2024 in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Davis faces up to an additional 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Minneapolis Non-Profit Executive and Business Consultant Pleads Guilty in $6 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis non-profit executive and business consultant pleaded guilty to leading a scheme to defraud a number of federal, state, local, private programs and other sources of funding, resulting in a loss of over $6 million, and also to illegally possessing a firearm after a felony, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, from 2020 until 2024, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, 28, engaged in a fraud scheme through two Minneapolis-based entities he founded and controlled: a marketing company he owned, Futuristic Management LLC, and a non-profit organization he led, Encouraging Leaders.
Encouraging Leaders, under Champion’s direction, submitted at least 42 grant and public-contract applications with related follow-up correspondence containing material false misrepresentations, in order to obtain funding. Fraudulent applications were submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, the Center for Disease Control Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Otto Bremer Trust, the Greater Twin Cities United Way, and others. False statements included false rosters of Encouraging Leaders’ board of directions; false assertions that Encouraging Leaders had been independently audited; false claims that certain local governments, companies, and community organizations had agreed to partner with Encouraging Leaders; requests for payment based on overstated hours of work; and false claims that Encouraging Leaders administered events that either never occurred or were organized by others. Champion misused significant portions of the funds that Encouraging Leaders received in response to the applications, for example by transferring funds to himself and using organizational funds for personal matters. Based on the fraudulent applications, Encouraging Leaders sought more than $3.8 million in funding through 42 grants and was awarded 27 grants for more than $2.7 million in funding. Encouraging Leaders actually received approximately $1.5 million in funding as part of the scheme.
Through Futuristic Management, Champion recruited and assisted clients in submitting fraudulent applications to Hennepin County’s Small Business Relief grant program as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs. The applications dramatically overstated applicant incomes and expenses, and were supported by fake tax records and fake lease documents that Champion obtained. Champion also submitted nine fraudulent applications on his own behalf. Simultaneously, Champion defrauded Hennepin County, for whom his company was serving as a business advisor under the County’s Elevate Business program. As part of the program, Champion agreed to provide free marketing services to local small businesses. But rather than provide free services, Champion billed and received payments from the County for services for which he had already been paid by his clients. Many of these clients were the same businesses and individuals Champion had assisted with false PPP, EIDL, and SBR applications. Champion also used his company to fraudulently obtain loans marketed by PayPal Business Loan and issued by WebBank. In the PayPal applications, Champion overstated his company’s gross sales and attached fake Wells Fargo bank statements inflating his bank balances and deposits. In total, the part of the scheme relating to Futuristic Management resulted in a loss of more than $2.1 million.
During the investigation of Champion’s offenses, law enforcement searched Champion’s home. Officers found Futuristic Management financial records, a safe containing $127,000 in U.S. currency, and a Ruger LCR .357 revolver with Champion’s DNA on it. Due to a 2018 conviction in Hennepin County for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, Champion is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
Champion pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court yesterday before Judge Katherine M. Menendez to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Champion agreed to pay restitution of at least $3,479,575 to the victims of his offenses. Earlier this month, Champion’s co-defendant Marcus A. Hamilton pleaded guilty to participating in the Futuristic Management part of the scheme. Sentencing hearings for both defendants will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department’s Special Crimes Investigations Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Forbes and Joseph H. Thompson are prosecuting the case.
plea_agreement_24-cr-112.pdf indictment_24-cr-112.pdf search_warrant_application_23-mj-358.pdfMinneapolis Man Pleads Guilty in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for his role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, from April 2020 through January 2022, Abdikadir Ainashe Mohamud, a.k.a. “AK,” 33, claimed to be operating a child nutrition site in Willmar, Minnesota, a small town with a total population of approximately 21,000. Mohamud ran his food site, Stigma-Free Willmar, under the sponsorship of Feeding our Future. In October 2020, Mohamud approached the owner of FaaFan restaurant and offered to pay him monthly so that he could claim the small storefront restaurant as a Stigma-Free Willmar food site. By October 20, 2020, less than a month after registering the Stigma-Free Willmar site, Mohamud claimed to be serving meals to 3,000 children per day, seven days a week from FaaFan. Mohamud created a shell company, Tunyar Trading, and claimed it was a meal vendor for the Stigma-Free Willmar food site. Between November 2020 and December 2021, Mohamud and his co-conspirators claimed to have served approximately 1.6 million meals to children through Stigma-Free Willmar.
To accomplish their scheme, Mohamud and his co-conspirators prepared and submitted fake meal counts, invoices, and attendance rosters. Mohamud ultimately transferred more than $2.5 million from Tunyar Trading to himself and other co-conspirators. He also created another shell company called Five A’s Projects LLC, where he transferred more than $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. These proceeds were used to purchase the former location of Kelly’s 19th Hole, a bar and restaurant in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
According to court documents, Mohamud paid more than $225,000 in bribes and kickbacks from Tunyar Trading LLC to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee who served as the site support manager for the Stigma-Free Willmar site, in exchange for sponsoring and facilitating Stigma-Free Willmar’s fraudulent participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. In exchange, Feeding Our Future received nearly $500,000 in administrative fees for sponsoring the Stigma-Free Willmar site’s participation in the program. In December 2021, the defendant paid $5,750 to a GoFundMe account for Feeding Our Future created by Aimee Bock.
In total, Stigma-Free Willmar received over $5.3 million in payments from Feeding Our Future based on fraudulent claims. As part of his sentence, Mohamud was ordered to forfeit the Kelly’s 19th Hole property, and $378,207.20 in fraudulent funds seized from his Tunyar Trading LLC bank account.
Mohamud pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Mexican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Isodoro Morales-Pajarito (36, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a deported alien. If convicted, Morales-Pajarito faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, Morales-Pajarito was previously deported from the United States on April 11, 2010, and May 27, 2016. Following his previous removals, he did not receive the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. On February 22, 2025, Morales-Pajarito was found to be voluntarily in the United States.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.
Meriden Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Cocaine Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MIGUEL ACEVEDO, 42, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for cocaine trafficking offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 7, 2021, Meriden Police arrested Acevedo on state crack cocaine distribution and firearm possession charges. On that date investigators seized from Acevedo approximately 390 grams of cocaine and $281,000 in cash.
In December 2022, while he was released on bond in his state case, investigators made two controlled purchases of cocaine from Acevedo.
Acevedo was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on February 14, 2023. On that date, a search of his residence on South Avenue in Meriden and his business on West Main Street in Meriden revealed approximately 40 grams of cocaine and more than $3,000 in cash. At the time of his arrest, investigators also seized two vehicles owned by Acevedo, an SUV and a minivan. A search of the minivan revealed a hidden trap that contained six kilograms of cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded firearm.
After his arrest, Acevedo was released on a $60,000 appearance bond, cosigned by three sureties. Within 24 hours of his release, Acevedo was observed meeting with several visitors at his home and receiving a paper bag from one visitor who was a known drug associate. Acevedo has been detained since March 1, 2023, when his bond was revoked. On July 25, 2023, Judge Dooley granted the government’s motion to forfeit Acevedo’s appearance bond.
On September 13, 2024, Acevedo pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
The state charges against Acevedo stemming from his June 2021 arrest are pending. The cash that was seized in June 2021 was previously forfeited.
Acevedo’s criminal history includes a 2008 federal narcotics trafficking conviction for which he was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Meriden Police Department. The DEA New Haven Task Force includes members from the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Waterbury, East Haven, Branford, West Haven, Ansonia, Meriden, Naugatuck, and Shelton Police Departments.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark and David C. Nelson through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Members of Newport News mail theft and bank fraud ring sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Four people have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy in the Newport News area to steal mail and deposit counterfeit checks.
According to court documents, on July 6, 2023, Andre Ephraim Billups Jr., 22, of Gloucester, and Johnny Ray Riddick, aka Glo, 24, of Newport News, robbed a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier in the area of Jefferson Point in Newport News. Arrow keys are used by letter carriers to access various types of mailboxes in a specific area, including blue collection boxes and apartment panel mailboxes. Riddick served as the getaway driver while Billups served as the gunman.
Billups approached the letter carrier and first attempted to grab the key from her, but she resisted. Billups indicated to the carrier that he was armed to coerce her into producing and turning over her arrow key. After Billups obtained the arrow key from the carrier, he fled on foot towards the location where Riddick was waiting for him.
Because a maintenance worker was chasing him, Billups diverted into the apartment of his friend and Riddick’s girlfriend, Alexis Sierra West, 24, of Newport News. Billups entered the apartment and left the key and his backpack with West, who contacted Riddick and asked him what to do with the key. Riddick directed her to hide it, which she did within her bedroom closet. West later lied to law enforcement about her knowledge of the robber and robbery. After Billups fled the apartment, he ran to where Riddick was waiting in his car.
When West met Billups later to turnover the backpack and key, Riddick wiped her cellphone because he was worried about a potential law enforcement investigation. Billups separately wiped his own cellphone.
Riddick and Billups repeatedly used the arrow key to illegally access USPS collection boxes in the area and steal mail. Due to numerous customer complaints of mail theft, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) began surveilling blue collection boxes in the area.
On Dec. 3, 2023, law enforcement officers with USPIS, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Newport News Police Department (NNPD) conducted surveillance of the Hidenwood Post Office in Newport News. Karon-Omar Gary, 21, of Gloucester, whom Billups had recruited to serve as getaway driver in connection with the collection box break-ins, drove Billups to the collection box outside the Post Office. Billups was armed with a handgun and a rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.
Billups got out of the vehicle and used the arrow key to open a collection box and access the mail but was interrupted by a Postal Inspector and an NNPD officer. Billups quickly retreated to the vehicle, but when the Inspector approached and gave verbal commands to stop, Gary drove in the direction of the Inspector. The Inspector discharged her service weapon, striking Billups in the shoulder.
Officers pursued the vehicle, which fled through Newport News into York County and then Gloucester County, at almost 100 miles per hour. Gloucester County law enforcement deployed “stop sticks” to disable the vehicle. Gary was taken into custody immediately. Billups fled on foot but eventually surrendered after disposing of his handgun.
Investigators searched the vehicle and recovered the stolen arrow key, Billups’ rifle, ammunition, two magazines, and Gary’s and Billups’ cellphones. They also recovered a driver’s license, debit cards, and checks in the names of several different individuals.
Riddick, Billups, and West engaged in a bank fraud scheme that involved “card cracking,” “check washing,” or “smacking the account.” They would deposit a counterfeit check that had been altered or fabricated into a third-party account, then withdraw or spend as much of that money as possible before the fraud was detected. Billups and Riddick would steal mail, then Riddick would send West pictures of checks from the mail, which she digitally “washed” and sent back to Riddick, who used them to produce counterfeit checks. Billups and Riddick maintained supplies, including stacks of blank checks and a printer, which they operated in West’s apartment.
On Feb. 29, 2024, Gary pled guilty to attempted theft of U.S. Mail. On Nov. 12, 2024, he was sentenced to time served.
On Sept. 25, 2024, Billups pled guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and using a firearm in a crime of violence. He was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.
On Sept. 26, 2024, West pled guilty to unlawful possession of postal keys and accessory after the fact. On Feb. 6, she was sentenced to six months in prison.
On Sept. 30, 2024, Riddick pled guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. On Feb. 14, he was sentenced to six years and six months in prison.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police; Ronald Montgomery, York County Sheriff; and Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Podlesni prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-94.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Dealing, Possession of a Machinegun and Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Worcester resident pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to firearms offenses and distributing cocaine.
Juan Otero, 23, of Franklin, Mass. pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license; one count of receiving a firearm while under indictment; one count of possession of a machinegun; and one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2025. In March 2024, Otero Was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Between Nov. 27, 2023 and Jan. 23, 2024, Otero sold five firearms on four different occasions. One of the firearms was a Glock pistol with a machinegun conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch,” attached. Otero also sold large capacity magazines and multiple rounds of ammunition. In addition, Otero distributed or possessed with intent to distribute cocaine on or about Dec. 6, 2023.
In 2022, Otero was indicted in Worcester Superior Court for multiple state crimes, including the unlawful possession of a large capacity weapon, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm and ammunition and attempted assault and battery. Otero was on release pending trial on the state court charges at the time of his firearm sales in this matter.
The charges of dealing in firearms without a license and receipt of a firearm while under indictment both provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful possession of a machinegun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of distribution of cocaine carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Paul Saucier, Interim Police Chief of the Worcester Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Franklin, Mansfield and Auburn Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/PSN.
Maryland Man Indicted for Armed Rape Committed in January 2012 in NE Washington D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cristian Josue Arteaga, 35, formerly of Hyattsville, Maryland, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on multiple counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed with aggravating circumstances, stemming from a January 22, 2012 armed rape of a victim in Northeast Washington D.C., U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Arteaga will be arraigned before the Honorable Jason Park. If convicted of the charges, Arteaga faces a maximum of life in prison without possibility of release and lifetime sex offender registration.
According to the government’s evidence as summarized in the arrest warrant, on January 22, 2012, at approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim was walking home from the Ft. Totten Metro station after finishing her shift at work. As the victim approached her home, Arteaga—a stranger—approached her and asked what time it was. The victim responded by pulling out her phone and relaying the time. Arteaga then brandished a small black handgun, demanded money and made a crude sexual demand while pointing the gun in her face. Arteaga shoved the victim into her neighbor’s carport, pushed her down, and raped her multiple times at gunpoint. Following the assault, Arteaga threatened the victim not to report the assault to police, saying he would kill her if she reported, and then fled the scene.
Due to the threats, the victim was afraid to call police to her home and waited until the following morning to report the rape to police. The victim subsequently obtained a rape kit and crime scene technicians processed the crime scene for evidence. Evidence collected in connection with the offense was tested for DNA promptly in 2012. The DNA profile of an unknown male was obtained from the testing and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a DNA database maintained by the FBI. There were no hits in the database and the case went cold.
On December 19, 2023, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued an NDIS CODIS offender letter, reflecting a match between the unknown male DNA profile that had been entered in CODIS from the 2012 armed rape and Texas offender Cristian Josue Arteaga. Detectives traveled to Texas and lawfully collected a known DNA sample from Arteaga and submitted it for testing and comparison to the evidence from the armed rape that was previously tested in 2012. The DNA testing provided very strong support for inclusion of Arteaga’s and the victim’s DNA profiles being present in the evidence.
Arteaga has been in custody since his arrest and was brought to the District of Columbia in January 2025 to face these charges.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Man sentenced to 20 years for armed robbery of an East St. Louis convenience storeRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a man to 20 years’ imprisonment for an armed robbery of a convenience store in East St. Louis.
Vernelle E. Hines, 31, arrested in Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of carry and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, Hines brandished a firearm to the store clerk and demanded two bottles of tequila from the Mega Supermarket in East St. Louis on Oct. 31, 2023.
When the clerk refused, Hines assaulted the clerk, discharged his firearm into the ceiling and took two bottles of tequila and a couple hundred dollars by force. Hines wore a mask to conceal his face.
The store clerk sustained serious and permanent injuries.
“This 20-year sentence of a convicted felon who committed a brutal robbery is evidence of the Illinois State Police’s commitment to making communities safer,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP special agents will follow leads and track down those who commit evil until justice is served.”
At the time of the robbery, Hines was on federal supervised release for felon in possession of a firearm for charges in the Eastern District of Missouri.
The Illinois State Police’s Public Safety Enforcement Group led the investigation with assistance in apprehending Hines from the U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Illinois and Homeland Security Investigations in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Running Multiple Dark Web Child Sexual Abuse WebsitesRead the Press Release
A California man was sentenced today to 24 years and four months in prison for his role in operating four websites dedicated to sharing images of child sexual abuse.
According to court documents, Louis Donald Mendonsa, 62, of Sacramento, assisted with managing and maintaining four different websites that operated on the dark web from at least December 2021 until his arrest November 2022. Each of these websites were dedicated to advertising, distributing, and exchanging images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. One of the websites allowed members to post images and videos of children as young as infants and toddlers. While using the internet at a local coffee shop, Mendonsa advertised and distributed child sexual abuse images over these websites and assisted others with running the websites. When searched by law enforcement, his electronic devices were found to contain images of child sexual abuse, approximately 6,500 of which depicted identified victims of his conduct.
Mendonsa pleaded guilty in April 2024 to seven counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California, and Special Agent in Charge Tatum King of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco made the announcement.
HSI San Francisco investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento Police Department, and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
CEOS Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Sauvageau and Christina McCall for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Sentenced to 12 Months for Indecent ExposureRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Anthony Leroy Haygood, 36, of Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced last week by United States Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Rateau to two consecutive six-month sentences. The sentences will be served consecutive to Haygood’s prior federal sentences. Haygood pleaded guilty to two counts of Indecent Exposure on November 20, 2024.
Between November 2, 2023, and January 7, 2024, Haygood was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex, Tucson, in the District of Arizona. On November 2, 2023, Haygood exposed himself to a correctional officer. When directed to stop, Haygood told her, “I don’t care. I will do it again.” On January 7, 2024, Haygood called a different correctional officer to his cell and exposed himself to her.
The Bureau of Prisons conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 24-04388-TUC-JR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-025_Haygood# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest newsMan Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl that Caused Two Fatal OverdosesRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Jonathan Tyler Gauthier pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied the fentanyl that caused the deaths of S.M.G. on September 7, 2022, and J.A.W. on December 24, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, on September 7, 2022, at approximately 5:50 a.m., San Diego Police officers responded to a residence in Hillcrest. When officers arrived, they found 24-year-old S.M.G. deceased in his upstairs bedroom. A review of S.M.G.’s phone revealed a lengthy history of drug purchases from Gauthier, starting in at least 2019.
According to evidence collected from cell phones and witness interviews, S.M.G. traveled from his home in Hillcrest to the defendant’s location in La Jolla in the late afternoon on Sept. 6, 2022. Gauthier warned S.M.G. that he was selling a potent batch of fentanyl. At 8:49 p.m., Gauthier texted S.M.G.: “Ur being careful.” At 9:12 p.m., S.M.G. responded “Yes.” S.M.G. was not seen alive after he went to his bedroom at 9:30 p.m.
On December 24, 2022, at approximately 4:29 a.m., San Diego Police officers responded to a residence in the North Clairemont area of the City of San Diego. When officers arrived, firefighters were attempting to revive J.A.W., a 27-year-old male. J.A.W. was pronounced dead at 5:02 a.m.
A family member had last seen J.A.W. alive on December 23, 2022, at 9:30 p.m., and she had checked on him at 4 a.m. when she noticed the light on his bedroom. Next to his body were a piece of foil with burnt residue on it and a white pipe with a charred blue pill on its tip. On the floor next to J.A.W.’s bed was a small, clear bag that contained eight blue pills, each marked with “M30.” Subsequent testing determined that the pills contained fentanyl.
According to evidence, including information from cell phones, social media and witness interviews, J.A.W. began to message the defendant on December 18, 2022, seeking to purchase “blues,” which are counterfeit pills often containing fentanyl. Over the course of the next four days, J.A.W. and Gauthier messaged about the purchase until settling on a price of $80 for 10 blues. On December 23, 2022, J.A.W. arranged to meet at Gauthier’s storage unit to complete the purchase. J.A.W. left his family’s holiday party at 2 p.m., picked up the drugs at the storage unit and returned home at 4 p.m.
Gauthier’s sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2025, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Gordon and David Fawcett.
Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team and the Fentanyl Abatement and Suppression Team (FAST) jointly led this investigation.
The Overdose Response Team is an ongoing effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego Police Department, the La Mesa Police Department, National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and the California Department of Health Care Services to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team as a response to the increase in overdose deaths in San Diego County.
HSI San Diego FAST is a multiagency task force comprising state, local, and federal partners and was first established in August 2022 focusing on the disruption and dismantlement of criminal organizations that smuggle and distribute fentanyl within San Diego County. HSI’s FAST targets fentanyl smuggling and distribution networks to counter the rising overdose rate and decrease the availability and accessibility of fentanyl.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 24-CR-1383-JLS
Jonathan Tyler Gauthier Age: 26 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Distribution of Fentanyl
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison (per count)
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Drug Enforcement Administration
Homeland Security Investigations
San Diego Police Department
California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force
California Department of Health Care Services
La Mesa Police Department
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Man Involved in Shooting at Fayetteville Hookah Lounge Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, N.C. –A Robeson County man was sentenced today to the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison for possession of a machine gun, after he fired a string of shots from a .40 caliber firearm that was equipped with a switch that converts a pistol to a machine gun. On October 9, 2024, Michai Jamill Caldwell, age 24, pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Caldwell was involved in a disagreement at the Anubis Hookah Lounge in Fayetteville on June 6, 2024. The disagreement ultimately led to an altercation between several patrons, including Caldwell, and the bouncer. After the altercation was diffused, all patrons were escorted out of the building and the lounge was closed. A short time later, Caldwell returned with another individual and was confronted by security as they reentered the establishment. During the confrontation, Caldwell fired a series of shots which struck multiple victims, including one victim who lost her right eye. Two other victims were seriously injured.
After the shooting, Caldwell fled the scene and led officers from the Fayetteville Police Department on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds in excess of 120 mph swerving through traffic and disregarding traffic lights. He initially evaded law enforcement but was arrested on June 21, 2024.
The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Fayetteville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Foxx prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:24-cr-66-BO-BM.
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Lyons Resident Charged in Connection with Series of Incidents at Loveland Tesla DealershipRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, of Lyons, Colorado, was charged by complaint with one count of malicious destruction of property for a series of incidents at the Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado.
According to the complaint, on January 29, Loveland Police received a call reporting a fire near a Cyber Truck located at the Tesla dealership. Investigators discovered an incendiary device, commonly referred to as a “Molotov cocktail” next to the vehicle. Additionally, on February 2, Loveland Police received a report of graffiti on the Tesla dealership sign where black spray paint was used to write the word “NAZI.” On February 7, police received a call for graffiti and possible arson at Tesla. During that investigation police found multiple broken bottles consistent with incendiary devices. On February 11, a security guard at the dealership came into contact with a person painting graffiti, which used an expletive, on the front windows of the building. On February 24, police confronted Nelson at the dealership. Inside Nelson’s car, police found a container of gasoline plus a box of bottles and wick material which were similar to the items police recovered after the prior incidents.
The defendant made an initial appearance in front of Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Field Office, and the Loveland Police Department are handling the investigation. The Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the United States Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution.
Case Number: 1:25-mj-00043-NRN
Lehigh Acres Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempting to Engage in Sexual Activity with A MinorRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Cosme Bejaran (34, Lehigh Acres) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor. The court also ordered Bejaran to forfeit a cellphone used to facilitate the offense. Bejaran pleaded guilty in November 2024.
According to court documents, beginning on May 17 and continuing through May 18, 2024, Bejaran communicated online with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. After learning of the girl’s age, Bejaran engaged in a sexually explicit conversation, asked the girl for explicit photographs, and sent an explicit photo of himself. Bejaran was apprehended by deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office when he arrived at a residence with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with the girl. Bejaran later admitted to deputies and the FBI that his intentions with the girl were sexual.
This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Lackawanna County Man Charged with Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Reinaldo Gonzalez, Jr., age 31, of Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 25, 2025, by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Gonzalez received numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in 2022 and 2023, in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 120 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Scheme to Defraud Boone County Schools Out of $3.4 MillionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jesse Marks, 65, of Rush, Kentucky, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Marks admitted to conspiring with Michael David Barker to overbill the Boone County Schools system while Barker was its maintenance director.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Marks was the sole owner and operator of Rush Enterprises when Barker contacted him in November 2019 about Rush Enterprises selling custodial and janitorial supplies to Boone County Schools. Marks agreed and began supplying Boone County Schools with supplies including hand soap, trash can liners, facemasks, face shields, and hand sanitizer.
Marks admitted that he and Barker entered into the overbilling scheme in November 2019. Barker submitted invoices to Boone County Schools on behalf of Rush Enterprises that significantly inflated the number of products that it was delivering. Boone County Schools relied on the fraudulent invoices and mailed checks to Rush Enterprises using the United States Postal Service.
As part of the agreement with Barker, Marks deposited the checks from Boone County Schools into the business bank account for Rush Enterprises, wrote himself checks on that account that he cashed at various banks, and personally delivered some of that cash to Barker in manila envelopes. Marks admitted that he and Barker initially agreed to evenly split the proceeds of the overbilling scheme after deducting the cost of the products actually delivered to Boone County Schools. Marks further admitted that their agreement changed in October 2020, when Barker began receiving 55 percent of the fraudulent profits.
Marks estimated that approximately 80 percent of the total payments received by Rush enterprises from Boone County Schools, or $3,448,571.85 out of $4,310,714.82, was for products never delivered.
Marks is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Marks also owes restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court.
A federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment on December 11, 2024, charging Barker, 47, of Foster, with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and money laundering. Barker’s trial is scheduled for April 15, 2025. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the West Virginia State Police, and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), and the assistance provided by the West Virginia Department of Education.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-6.
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Jewelry Store Robber Sentenced to 19 Years for East Coast Robbery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Avery Fuller (30, Washington D.C.) to 19 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies in New Jersey and Florida and brandishing a firearm during the robberies. Fuller pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024.
According to court documents, Fuller and his co-conspirators planned and executed a series of jewelry store robberies in New Jersey, Florida, and the District of Columbia. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, the group targeted predominantly South Asian jewelry stores along the east coast. Wearing disguises and armed with firearms, they used hammers to smash jewelry display cases and steal valuable items. These stores were specifically chosen because they sold high-purity gold, which yielded higher proceeds when sold for cash.
On June 10, 2022, Fuller, along with Trevor Wright, William Hunter, Franklin Hunter, Davon Johnson, and at least four other co-conspirators, committed an armed robbery of Virani Jewelers, located at 1394 Oaktree Road in Iselin, New Jersey. The group left Washington, D.C., at approximately 12:09 p.m., and traveled together in three separate vehicles. At approximately 7:45 p.m., Fuller and his co-conspirators arrived at Virani, exited their vehicles, and ran into the store wearing masks.
Once inside the store, Fuller and his co-conspirators pointed firearms at store employees. Two of the co-conspirators immediately forced at least two employees to the ground at gunpoint. Hunter and another co-conspirator used hammers to smash the display cases throughout the store and one of the store’s cameras. One co-conspirator pointed his firearm at the back of an employee’s head, pushed her to the back of the store, and commanded her to open the vault. Other co-conspirators shoveled gold jewelry into bags before exiting the store and entering the vehicles; all three vehicles fled from the scene together. After the robbery, Fuller and his-conspirators immediately traveled back to Washington, D.C. with approximately $1.2 million in gold jewelry, which they ultimately melted down into bars of gold and split among the group by grams of gold.
Approximately six months later, in early December 2022, Fuller and his co-conspirators—Trevor Wright, Jameise Christian, Antonio Tate, Delontae Martin, and Jaylaun Brown—planned another robbery, this time at a jewelry store in Jacksonville. To prepare, Fuller and Wright coordinated everyone’s travel from Washington, D.C., to Miami, where they rented a black vehicle and a white vehicle. On December 6, 2022, the group drove these vehicles to Jacksonville. Upon arrival at the jewelry store, four co-conspirators exited the black vehicle, entered the store wearing disguises, and brandished firearms. One co-conspirator ordered store employees to kneel behind the counter with their heads down while the group used a hammer to smash glass display cases. Meanwhile, Wright and Fuller remained in the white vehicle to monitor the store’s entrance.
After approximately three minutes, one of the conspirators exited the store and drove the black vehicle directly in front of the store, honking the horn to signal the others to exit. Before leaving, one co-conspirator approached the store employees kneeling in the corner, pointed his firearm, and stole the store owner’s wallet. The group then loaded the stolen jewelry into the trunk of the black vehicle and fled the scene, with the white vehicle traveling in the same direction. The group stole approximately $880,000 in jewelry from the jewelry store.
Through the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, this complex investigation resulted in the identification of six individuals, who were eventually traced back to Miami. The suspects were observed at a Miami condominium, where they were seen exiting their vehicles unmasked and carrying the stolen jewelry.
To date, all individuals involved in the Jacksonville and New Jersey robberies have been arrested with pending federal cases in Jacksonville and Washington, D.C. In Jacksonville, Delontae Martin, Antonio Tate, and Jameise Christian pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of the Jacksonville robbery. Martin was sentenced to 9 years’ imprisonment, Tate was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, and Christian was sentenced to 12 years and 10 months in federal prison. Trevor Wright and Jaylaun Brown are in custody and awaiting trial in Washington, D.C. for robbery and firearm offenses.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Miami Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kirwinn Mike.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Destructive DevicesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Matthew Reid Davisson (35, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing destructive devices which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Davisson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, Davisson was arrested on unrelated state charges on October 26, 2023. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives subsequently received information that Davisson had large amounts of chemicals and possible grenades at his residence in Jacksonville. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement recovered two improvised explosive bombs, one improvised explosive grenade, items constituting combinations of parts from which three improvised explosive grenades could be readily assembled, quantities of homemade high explosives and detonators, large volumes of explosive precursor chemicals, and homemade explosive manufacturing equipment. None of the destructive devices were registered to Davisson in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law. One of Davisson’s family members also surrendered one of Davisson’s firearms to law enforcement which was later determined to be an unregistered machinegun with an unregistered homemade silencer attached to the barrel.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David B. Mesrobian and Rachel Lasry.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Inland Empire Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Trade Secrets Belonging to U.S. Employer to Build Business with China CompanyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing sensitive technologies that he downloaded from his Southern California-based employers and used them to market his own competing company to a China-based company.
Liming Li, 66, of Rancho Cucamonga, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of trade secrets.
“Protecting U.S. companies’ sensitive intellectual property is critical to our country’s success in a global economy,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “The defendant here stole intellectual property in order to benefit companies in China. Stealing proprietary information undermines our economic security and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute individuals that engage in this conduct.”
“Mr. Li’s greed allowed him to be used by a Chinese company without regard for the negative implications to the economy or national security of the United States,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is well-aware that China is actively seeking and stealing American intellectual property at a rapid pace and those who willingly hand it over, as Mr. Li has done and now acknowledged, will face serious consequences.”
According to his plea agreement, from 1996 to 2013, Li worked for a Southern California-based business identified in court documents as “U.S. Company #1,” which specialized in precision measuring instruments and metrological technology and equipment. The company designed and sold a range of products such as micrometers, calipers, coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), and optical measurement systems.
Li worked at U.S. Company #1 as a senior software engineer, then as a program manager. From 2013 to 2018, Li worked as chief technologist at a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Company #1. During his employment at U.S. Company #1 and its subsidiary, Li worked on the development of the source code for one of the company’s software programs, which was considered its proprietary information.
In July 2013, Li signed an employee handbook and confidentiality agreement with U.S. Company #1 that required him to turn over all writings, records, files, technology, trade secrets or data containing any proprietary information belonging to the company. The agreement also prohibited Li from copying the company’s proprietary information without written permission.
Li admitted in his plea agreement that he occasionally downloaded the company’s proprietary information onto his personal devices without permission. Li failed to return all the proprietary information belonging to U.S. Company #1 after its subsidiary terminated him in January 2018.
In February 2018, Li operated a consulting company named JSL Innovations Inc. and in March 2020, he signed an employment agreement with Suzhou Universal Group Technology Co. Ltd., a China-based chain-and-bearing manufacturer. Li continued to work for Suzhou Universal until his arrest in May 2023. During this period, Li continued to knowingly possess U.S. Company #1’s proprietary information and – more than once – accessed this information without that company’s authorization.
Li admitted that he used the proprietary information for his own economic benefit and that it would injure U.S. Company #1’s interests.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt scheduled a May 8 sentencing hearing, at which time Li will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The FBI investigated this matter with substantial assistance from the Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, Bureau of Industry and Security.
The case against Li was brought under the auspices of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, which is co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce. The Strike Force seeks to counter efforts by hostile nation-states to illicitly acquire sensitive U.S. technology to advance their authoritarian regimes and facilitate human rights abuses.
Assistant United States Attorney Aaron B. Frumkin of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, Solomon D. Kim of the Major Frauds Section, and David T. Ryan of the National Security Division are prosecuting this case.
Indictment Returned on June 2024 Shooting in Northeast D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bryant Russell, 46, of Monroe, North Carolina, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury on aggravated assault while armed and other charges stemming from a shooting that occurred on June 6, 2024, in the Deanwood neighborhood of Northeast D.C., U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
On February 26, 2025, Russell was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction). Russell faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges. The aggravated assault charge was brought under the D.C. Council’s Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024. The change in the law recognizes all gunshot wounds as serious bodily injury.
According to the government’s evidence, Russell fired a single gunshot from the sidewalk at the victim—who was seated on his porch, smoking—and struck the victim in the right arm.
Following the shooting, Russell fled the scene. He was arrested on June 7, 2024 and has been in custody since his arrest.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Honduran National Pleads Guilty and Sentenced for Re-entry of a Deported AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ALEX SAUL HERNANDEZ-PEREZ (“HERNANDEZ-PEREZ”), age 33, a native of Honduras, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on February 20, 2025, for violating Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), illegal reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents, HERNANDEZ-PEREZ, an illegal alien, was found in St. Bernard Parish on or around October 21, 2024. He had previously been deported to Honduras on June 13, 2019.
HERNANDEZ-PEREZ was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey to time served. Once HERNANDEZ-PREREZ is released from federal custody, he will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE), for processing and, removal to his native country.
United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey also sentenced HERNANDEZ-PEREZ to one year of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
Honduran National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Manuel A. Padilla, 36, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
According to the indictment, Padilla was previously deported on June 28, 2013. It is alleged that, sometime after this removal, Padilla unlawfully reentered the United States.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Henrico man sentenced to over eight years in prison for illegally possessing Molotov cocktailsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico man was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison for possession of destructive devices.
According to court documents, in August 2020, Xavier Louis Lopez, 25, paced through his suburban Henrico neighborhood, wielding a knife that he used to slash the tires of cars belonging to neighbors of whose political views he disapproved. When police officers located and arrested Lopez, he violently resisted, attempted to gain control of a knife, and physically assaulted the officers.
After the arrest, investigators searched Lopez’s residence and located over a thousand rounds of ammunition, more than a dozen high-capacity magazines, rifle parts, and machining tools and equipment. All firearms-related items were seized following his 2021 plea agreement related to felony vandalism charges.
After Lopez’s release from prison in November 2022, investigators recovered eight Molotov cocktails, destructive devices with Styrofoam added to the gasoline mixture inside, creating improvised napalm. Located near the Molotov cocktails was a box of 9mm hollow-point ammunition, as well as the defendant’s attempts to 3D-print the final piece of a 9mm handgun build kit he had purchased anonymously online.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI’s Richmond Field Office thank the Henrico County Police Department and Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance to the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett and Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-79.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Crystal MethRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GODFREY SMITH, also known as “Mike” and “Mikey,” 41, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and Middletown Police Department made a controlled purchase of approximately 53 grams of crystal methamphetamine from an individual in Middletown. During the transaction, investigators identified Smith as the source of the drugs. On August 22, 2024, investigators made a controlled purchase of approximately 240 grams of crystal methamphetamine from Smith in Hartford.
Smith was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on September 4, 2024. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement seized from Smith approximately 27 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 44 grams of cocaine, 32 grams of crack cocaine, $3,200 in cash, and a box of .45 caliber ammunition.
On December 5, 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, five grams or more of methamphetamine.
Smith, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 30.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) assisted the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.
Harrisburg Man Sentenced to 160 Months in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kyle Malik Jones, age 33, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on February 25, 2025, to 160 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on March 17, 2021, Susquehanna Township Police found a stolen vehicle parked in hotel parking lot. When the vehicle’s alarm was triggered, Jones came out of his hotel room and silenced the alarm. The police went to Jones’s hotel room to arrest him for the vehicle theft and discovered the following: 731 grams of methamphetamine; 221 grams of fentanyl; cocaine; a Ruger .40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number; a Hi-Point .380 caliber firearm; approximately $7,635 in cash; one pack of 300 small rubber bands; one digital scale; and two cell phones.
Jones pleaded guilty on March 11, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Susquehanna Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Williams and Jeffrey St. John prosecuted the case.
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Harrisburg Man Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison for Making False Statements to Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Armond Youngblood, age 26, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 10 months in prison on charges of making false statements to federal agents.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents interviewed Youngblood on May 13, 2021, regarding weapons he had purchased that had been recovered at crime scenes. During the interview, Youngblood claimed he purchased three guns, when in fact, he had purchased six guns.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (ATF) and the Harrisburg Police Borough. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
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Hardy County Man Convicted of Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal jury has convicted a West Virginia man of firearms charges.
James Douglas Lambert, age 36, of Moorefield, West Virginia, was found guilty of two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Lambert has prior convictions of domestic battery, breaking and entering, and escape, prohibiting him from having firearms. The jury heard testimony that the West Virginia State Police, acting on a tip, visited Lambert’s home. During a search of the residence, troopers recovered seven firearms. On a separate date, Lambert was arrested for brandishing a firearm, which also led to the recovery of an additional firearm.
Lambert faces up to 15 years in federal prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Warner and Will Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to 14 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Jose Adan Revolorio-De La Cruz (24, Guatemala) to 14 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after deportation. Revolorio-De La Cruz entered a guilty plea on October 23, 2024.
According to court documents, Revolorio-De La Cruz was deported from the United States on August 25, 2022. After his deportation, Revolorio-De La Cruz illegally reentered the United States. He was arrested in Seminole County in November 2023 for unlawful travel to meet a minor and was subsequently convicted of that offense.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Re-entry into the United States, Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Guatemalan national pled guilty today in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges of failing to register as a sex offender and re-entry after deportation, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Nelson Leonel Yocute Samayoa, 34, was convicted in 2014 in Rhode Island state court on a charge of second-degree sexual assault, after which he was ordered to register as a sex offender and was deported.
According to information presented to the court, after being deported, Yocute returned to the United States illegally and lived and worked in Newport for approximately nine years. Additionally, Yocute failed to comply with the obligation that he register as a sex offender, as mandated by his 2014 sentence.
Mr. Yocute has been detained since his arrest in this latest matter on May 14, 2024. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. He will also face deportation proceedings for a second time.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton.
The matter was investigated by the Newport Police Department, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service.
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Guatemalan National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national was indicted today for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Domingo Valentin Solis-De Leon, 29, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Solis-De Leon was arrested on Jan. 28, 2025 in Lynn, Mass. and was subsequently taken into custody by immigration authorities. Solis-De Leon was indicted this morning and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Rudy Manfredo Navichoque-Barrera, 27, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He is currently in the custody of immigration authorities and will be brought to federal court for arraignment at a future date.
According to the charging document, Navichoque-Barrera was previously deported in August 2018. It is alleged that sometime after removal, Navichoque-Barrera unlawfully reentered the United States. He was identified in the country by immigration authorities in July 2024.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Soto of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Re-Entering the United States After Being DeportedRead the Press Release
A man who illegally re-entered the United States after being deported was sentenced today to one year in federal prison.
Adan Gomez-Juarez, age 25, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 24, 2024, guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry.
At the plea hearing, Gomez-Juarez admitted he had illegally re-entered the United States after he had been removed in 2020. On August 28, 2024, Gomez-Juarez, a citizen and national of Guatemala, was encountered by ICE officers in Sioux City after he was arrested for OWI by Sioux City police.
Gomez-Juarez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Gomez-Juarez was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fletcher and was investigated by the Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-04061.
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Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Re-Entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced Manuel Suc-Chok (40) to one year and four months in federal prison for illegal re-entry after deportation. Suc-Chok pleaded guilty on November 25, 2024.
According to court documents, Suc-Chok was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for illegally re-entering the United States. Suc-Chok illegally re-entered the United States again and was found on April 23, 2024, after being arrested on state criminal charges. This is Suc-Chok’s third time illegally entering the United States.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Daniels.
Gastonia Pharmacy to Pay $204,000 to Resolve Alleged Controlled Substances Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Prescriptions Plus, a pharmacy in Gastonia, N.C., has agreed to pay $204,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the recordkeeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence J. Cameron.
The Controlled Substances Act was enacted to combat illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, including prescription medications. Pharmacies dispensing controlled substances must register with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and comply with the various requirements of the Controlled Substances Act, including to maintain complete and accurate records of all controlled substances received, sold, or otherwise disposed of. These recordkeeping requirements play a vital role in ensuring the appropriate handling, accounting, and distribution of controlled substances. Violations of the recordkeeping requirements subject pharmacies to civil monetary penalties.
The United States alleges that Prescriptions Plus did not adequately monitor the conduct of its staff pharmacist and failed to keep complete and accurate records regarding the receipt and distribution of controlled substances, including oxycodone and alprazolam. The United States contends that these violations negligently enabled the illegal distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam by its staff pharmacist.
Prescriptions Plus represents that it has taken steps to improve its compliance with the Controlled Substances Act, including by implementing new recordkeeping policies. As part of the resolution, Prescriptions Plus has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA, addressing measures to ensure the pharmacy’s future compliance with the Controlled Substances Act.
“When pharmacies fail to comply with the Controlled Substances Act, they can put opioids and other prescription drugs at risk of abuse on the street, causing great harm to our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron. “Our Office is committed to working with the Drug Enforcement Administration to hold pharmacies accountable when they fail to take required steps to prevent unlawful drug distribution.”
“DEA investigators will continue to aggressively pursue the unlawful dispensing practices of pharmacists, as was the case with the pharmacist working at Prescriptions Plus. The DEA is committed to making sure healthcare providers are abiding by the law,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the DEA, which oversees the Charlotte District Office.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA Charlotte District Office Tactical Diversion Squad with assistance from the Gastonia Police Department, DEA Greensboro Resident Office Diversion Group, DEA Columbia District Office Diversion Group, North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, and IRS Charlotte Criminal Investigation Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly H. Snow handled this affirmative civil enforcement matter on behalf of the Government.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Fourteenth and Final Defendant Convicted in Federal Dog Fighting CaseRead the Press Release
All 14 defendants in a large-scale federal dog fighting case indicted last year in Albany, Georgia, have now been convicted. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia has accepted the guilty pleas of the following defendants:
- Tamichael Elijah, 48, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
- Marvin Pulley, III, 53, of Donalsonville and Jakin, Georgia;
- Brandon Baker, 42, of Panama City, Florida;
- Christopher Travis Beaumont, 38, of Panama City, Florida;
- Herman Buggs, Jr., 57, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
- Terrance Davis, 46, of Pansey, Alabama;
- Timothy Freeman, 27, of Bainbridge, Georgia;
- Terelle Ganzy, 35, of Panama City, Florida;
- Gary Hopkins, 67, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
- Cornelious Johnson, 40, of Panama City, Florida;
- Rodrecus Kimble, 44, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
- Donnametric Miller, 42, of Donalsonville, Georgia;
- Willie Russell, 43, of Blakely, Georgia; and
- Fredricus White, 36, of Panama City, Florida.
According to court documents filed in this case, the defendants all converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, on April 24, 2022, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. The defendants and others brought a total of 24 pit bull-type dogs to be fought that weekend in a series of matches. Law enforcement personnel who disrupted the event found numerous dogs inside crates in cars on the property.
The participants used their cars to store dogs who had already been fought, as well as those whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the fighting pit. Some dogs were kept on chains on the property. Law enforcement rescued a total of 27 dogs, including one found in the pit with severe injuries and which died a shortly thereafter. Dogs in the cars also bore recent injuries and historical fighting scars.
Under federal law, it is illegal not only to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce, but also to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
All defendants but Freeman pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to violate the animal fighting prohibition of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Defendants Beaumont and Miller also pleaded guilty to sponsoring or exhibiting (i.e., handling) a dog in a dog fight. Defendants Baker, Davis, Ganzy, Johnson, Pulley, and White further pleaded guilty to possessing and transporting a dog for purposes of using the dog in an animal fighting venture. Freeman pleaded guilty to spectating at an animal fight. Defendants Miller and Pulley also pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a firearm by a person with a prior felony conviction.
Russell is set to be sentenced on Feb. 28. The court has not yet set sentencing dates for the other defendants. Each defendant faces maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count of animal fighting charges. Miller also faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the firearm charge, and Pulley faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on his firearm charge.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker for the Middle District of Georgia made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General and detectives with the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Detectives with the Bay County, Florda, Sheriff’s Office also provided invaluable assistance.
Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy and Trial Attorney Leigh Rendé of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Criminal Chief Leah McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrill and Paralegal Kristi Cote for the Middle District of Georgia handled a parallel civil forfeiture proceeding to ensure that the dogs did not have to be returned to the defendants. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Florida and Middle District of Alabama also assisted with the dog rescue operation.
Four New Orleans Men Indicted for Selling Fentanyl and Methamphetamine and Multiple Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that SHERWIN WHITE (“WHITE”), age 29, LIONEL WINDING, JR. (“WINDING”), age 20, LORENZO SMITH (“SMITH”), age 19, and ANDRE MILLS (“MILLS”), age 37, were indicted on February 21, 2025, in a 20-count indictment for violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts.
WHITE, WINDING, SMITH, and MILLS are all charged in Count 1 of the indictment with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846.
WHITE, WINDING, and SMITH are each charged with distributing various quantities of fentanyl in Counts 2 and 3 and distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Counts 4 and 8, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). WHITE and MILLS are also charged with distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Count 12, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). WHITE is additionally charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl in Count 16, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). WINDING is additionally charged in Count 19 with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D).
As to their firearms crimes, WHITE, WINDING, and SMITH are each charged in Counts 6 and 10, and WHITE and MILLS are charged in Count 13, with carrying firearms during, and in relation to, a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). WINDING is charged in Counts 5, 9, and 20, and WHITE is charged in Count 17, with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). WHITE is also charged in Counts 7, 11, 14, and 18, and MILLS is charged in Count 15, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to the indictment, between November of 2024 and January of 2025, the defendants distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine and conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, those substances. On January 30, 2025, WHITE and WINDING possessed additional controlled substances with the intent to distribute them. The indictment also alleges that the defendants carried firearms during three of the drug distributions and that WINDING also possessed a firearm in furtherance of two of the distributions. The indictment further alleges that, on four different dates, WHITE illegally possessed firearms, after previously being convicted of distribution of heroin, and, on one of those dates, MILLS also illegally possessed firearms, after previously being convicted of distribution of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. In total, the indictment alleges that the defendants committed federal crimes involving 17 firearms.
As to the conspiracy charge in Count 1, all four defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison up to life, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release up to life. WHITE also faces the same penalties for his possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of methamphetamine charge in Count 16.
As to the fentanyl distribution charge in Count 2, WHITE, WINDING, and SMITH face up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. WINDING faces the same penalties for his possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana charge in Count 19.
As to the charge of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl in Count 3, and each of the charges of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Counts 4, 8, and 12, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to 40 years, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release up to life.
As to each of the charges of carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in Counts 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 17, and 20, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to each other and all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.
As to each of the felon in possession charges in Counts 7, 11, 14, 15, and 18, WHITE and MILLS face up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
WHITE is also charged with a sentencing enhancement based on his prior convictions for distributing heroin that raises his mandatory minimum sentence for Count 1 to 15 years in prison.
Altogether, WHITE faces a cumulative mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in prison; WINDING faces a cumulative mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison; SMITH faces a cumulative mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison; and MILLS faces a cumulative mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Fort Worth woman sentenced for smuggling minors from MexicoRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 36-year-old woman has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to smuggle two Mexican children from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Sandra Perez pleaded guilty Nov. 19, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now ordered Perez to serve three years in federal prison.
“Smuggling children is absolutely reprehensible,” said Ganjei. “Who knows what awaited these children had the defendant managed to slip past authorities. Fortunately, law enforcement was able to unravel Perez’s false story and stop her smuggling scheme dead in its tracks.”
On Aug. 8, 2024, Perez applied for admission into the United States driving an SUV. She had her three minor U.S. citizen children with her along with two minor Mexican children.
Perez falsely claimed the two Mexican children were also hers and attempted to present Texas birth certificates and Social Security cards that belonged to her two other children as proof.
After the Mexican children failed to answer authorities’ questions, Perez admitted to attempting to bring the Mexican children into the United States to the children’s mother in Fort Worth, knowing that they did not have legal authority to enter the country.
She also admitted she expected to receive $5,000 per child after delivery.
Perez was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.
Former federal officer guilty of money launderingRead the Press Release
HOUSTON –A former deportation officer has entered a guilty plea to charges of laundering money while working for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Christopher Washington Toral, 49, Spring, began working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2008 and was assigned to a processing center in Conroe.
Over a two-month period in 2023, Toral agreed to transport $700,000 in drug proceeds under the protective cover of his position as a federal law enforcement officer.
As part of an undercover operation, Toral agreed to transport a black bag containing $200,000 in cash from Dallas to Houston in February 2023. He believed this money was revenue from the sale of illegal narcotics. Later that same month, Toral repeated the trip, delivering an additional $200,000.
In March 2023, Toral agreed to transport $300,000 from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston on a commercial flight. The money was represented to be the proceeds of drug trafficking. While carrying the illicit gains, Toral bypassed airport security and Transportation Security Administration checkpoints by exploiting his law enforcement position.
Toral did all this in exchange for cash payments.
“Christopher Toral swore to protect America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threatens our national security….but he betrayed that oath,” said Ganjei. “Today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to hold accountable those who would choose corruption and deception over faithful service to their country, their community, and their brothers and sisters in law enforcement.”
“In choosing greed over duty, former ICE officer Christopher Toral disgraced the badge he vowed to uphold,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “His crimes – frequently conducted under the guise of a righteous law enforcement officer – betrayed all the men and women who tirelessly protect and serve their communities with integrity every day. FBI Houston proudly partnered with DHS-Office of Inspector General (OIG) to ensure Toral’s corrupt and deceitful activities were exposed and brought to justice.”
“Today’s plea sends a clear message that federal employees who violate the trust of the public and break the law will be prosecuted,” said DHS-OIG Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari PhD. “DHS-OIG is grateful for our continued partnership with our law enforcement partners as we continue fighting corruption.”
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison accepted the plea and set sentencing for May 15. At that time, Toral faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $1 million maximum fine.
FBI and DHS-OIG conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Ferko and John Marck are prosecuting the case.
Former employee sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $135,000 from Dupo School DistrictRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A judge sentenced a Waterloo woman to 15 months’ incarceration, requiring three months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and 12 additional months in community confinement, for embezzling more than $135,000 from Dupo Community Unit School District #196 while employed by the district.
Linda J. Johnson, 58, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of theft from a federally funded program. In addition to imprisonment, Johnson was ordered to pay $135,566.80 in restitution to Dupo Community Unit School District #196 and the Ohio Casualty Insurance Company.
According to court documents, Johnson committed the embezzlement while employed in an administrative support role in the superintendent’s office between 2016 and 2022.
In this position, Johnson was responsible for depositing cash and checks into the district’s activities account intended to support student athletics, clubs and extracurriculars. She stole donations and funds raised to support yearbook, cheer, dance, vending machines, trivia nights, science clubs, ROTC and more.
To conceal her crime, Johnson drafted bank deposit slips reflecting the correct amount of cash and checks received, but later she prepared a second set of fraudulent deposit slips that only accounted for the checks, while she kept the cash.
Johnson committed 165 fraudulent transactions, and the loss to the school district was $135,566.80. OCIC incurred a portion of the loss after issuing a Public Official Bond insuring Johnson’s duties as the bookkeeper.
District officials said the sentencing holds Linda Johnson responsible for severely violating public trust, for the crime directly harmed students, staff and the Dupo School District. The district is resolute in its commitment to safeguarding district resources and ensuring accountability. The district extends sincere gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI and Dupo Police Department for their work on this case. The district believes the court's decision sends a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated in schools.
The Dupo Police Department and the FBI Springfield Field Office contributed to the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft prosecuted the case.
Former Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Plotting to Attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North ChicagoRead the Press Release
A former Navy sailor has pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to plotting to attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois, purportedly on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Xuanyu Harry Pang, 38, of North Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiring to and attempting to willfully injure and destroy national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities, with the intent to injure, interfere with, and obstruct the national defense of the United States. The guilty plea was entered on Nov. 5, 2024, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and ordered unsealed today.
According to court records filed in the case, in the summer of 2021, Pang communicated with an individual in Colombia about potentially assisting with a plan involving Iranian actors to conduct an attack against the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, a general of the IRGC Quds Force who was killed by the U.S. military in 2020. The Quds Force is a branch of the IRGC that conducts unconventional warfare and intelligence activities outside of Iran.
A covert FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the Quds Force, subsequently communicated online with the individual in Colombia about conducting an attack. The individual in Colombia put the covert FBI employee in touch with Pang, who at the time was stationed and residing at Naval Station Great Lakes. The pair communicated online through an encrypted messaging application about possible targets for the attack, including Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in the Chicago area. Pang and the individual in Colombia agreed to help the covert FBI employee and his purported associates with their operation to conduct the attack in the United States, court records state.
On three occasions in the fall of 2022, Pang personally met with another individual working with the FBI who was posing as an associate of the covert FBI employee. The first meeting took place outside of the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, and the two other meetings were held at a train station in Lake Bluff, Illinois. During the meetings in Lake Bluff, as the plot coalesced into an attack on the Naval Station, Pang displayed photos and videos on his phone of multiple locations inside the Naval Station. He also provided two U.S. military uniforms – for operatives to wear inside the base during the attack – and a cell phone that could be used as a test for a detonator.
Pang is currently detained without bond and is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant Director David J. Scott of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force – which is comprised of multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies – is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond, Vikas Didwania, and Brandon Stone for the Northern District of Illinois and Trial Attorneys John Cella and Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
Former Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Plotting to Attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Ill.Read the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former Navy sailor has pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to plotting to attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Ill., purportedly on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
XUANYU HARRY PANG, 38, of North Chicago, Ill., pleaded guilty to conspiring to and attempting to willfully injure and destroy national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities, with the intent to injure, interfere with, and obstruct the national defense of the United States. The guilty plea was entered on Nov. 5, 2024, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and ordered unsealed today.
Pang is currently detained without bond in law enforcement custody. U.S. District Judge Jeremy C. Daniel set sentencing for May 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, David J. Scott of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Substantial assistance was provided by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The case was investigated by the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond, Vikas Didwania, and Brandon Stone of the Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from Trial Attorneys John Cella and Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
According to court records filed in the case, Pang communicated in the summer of 2021 with an individual in Colombia about potentially assisting with a plan involving Iranian actors to conduct an attack against the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, a general of the IRGC Quds Force who was killed by the U.S. military in 2020. The Quds Force is a branch of the IRGC that conducts unconventional warfare and intelligence activities outside of Iran.
A covert FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the Quds Force, subsequently communicated online with the individual in Colombia about conducting an attack. The individual in Colombia put the covert FBI employee in touch with Pang, who at the time was stationed and residing at Naval Station Great Lakes, court records show. The pair communicated online through an encrypted messaging application about possible targets for the attack, including the Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in the Chicago area. Pang and the individual in Colombia agreed to help the covert FBI employee and his purported associates with their operation to conduct the attack in the United States, court records state.
On three occasions in the fall of 2022, Pang personally met with another individual working with the FBI who was posing as an associate of the covert FBI employee. The first meeting took place outside of the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, and the two other meetings were held at a train station in Lake Bluff, Ill., court records show. During the meetings in Lake Bluff, as the plot coalesced into an attack on the Naval Station, Pang displayed photos and videos on his phone of multiple locations inside the Naval Station. He also provided two U.S. military uniforms – for operatives to wear inside the base during the attack – and a cell phone that could be used as a test for a detonator, the records show.
pang_plea_agreement.pdf pang_complaint.pdfFormer Fort Cavazos Soldier Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted MurderRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A former soldier was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 200 months in prison for the attempted murder of another soldier while he was stationed at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) in June 2000.
According to court documents, Allen Houston James, 46, of Suffolk, Virginia, entered the barracks room of another soldier while she was sleeping and attempted to rape her at knifepoint. The victim resisted and was repeatedly stabbed. After James left the room, she escaped and reported the incident before she was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery for stab wounds. Medical records revealed that one of the victim’s neck wounds was within millimeters of her jugular vein and penetrated from the front to the back, nearly reaching her spine. As a result of the stabbing, the victim sustained permanent nerve damage.
When a DNA profile did not produce a match and a suspect was not identified, the case went cold until 2019. Through new DNA analysis by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL), the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was able to identify James as the perpetrator and locate him while he was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in March 2021.
James was indicted July 13, 2021 for one count of attempt to commit murder and arrested the following day in the Eastern District of Virginia. He was transferred to Waco July 19, 2021, then reassigned to Chief Judge Alia Moses in Del Rio Nov. 13, 2023. James was found guilty by jury trial on Feb. 23, 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Army CID investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Frazier, Mary Kucera and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Siddharth Dadhich prosecuted the case.
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Former Bank Employee Pleads Guilty to Role in International Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brooklyn, N.Y. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization.
Rongjian Li, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025.
In May 2023, Li was among 12 individuals from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and California charged in a superseding indictment for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization led by Jin Hua Zhang. The investigation revealed that, for a fee, Zhang laundered bulk cash for drug dealers and laundered profits from other illegal businesses. In less than a year, Zhang and his organization laundered at least $25 million worth of drug proceeds and funds from other illegal businesses through undercover agents. Funds were eventually traced to, and seized from, accounts in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China, India, Cambodia and Brazil, among other locations.
The investigation identified Li as a member of the money laundering conspiracy who, from 2021 through 2022, used his position as a Bank of America employee to knowingly open several accounts through which the organization laundered illicit funds. Li was also aware that some of the accounts were opened using fraudulent passports. As part of his involvement, when the bank's financial auditing systems flagged or froze accounts, Li misused the branch customer information system to help Zhang move illicit funds elsewhere. In addition, Li was observed sitting next to Zhang at a dinner in New York, where Zhang discussed the different fee percentages he charged various criminal groups for drug trafficking and scams.
Zhang pleaded guilty in September 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025.
The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the amount involved, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Final “BTE” Member Sentenced to More Than 25 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Cortez Haugabook (34, St. Petersburg), aka “Traffic,” to 25 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Haugabook pleaded guilty on March 6, 2024.
According to court documents, Haugabook, Torri McLaurin, Kristian Brown, and Javontah Harris were members of Bag Tawk Entertainment (“BTE”), an organization distributing controlled substances, which primarily operated in St. Petersburg. Haugabook and his co-defendants, as well as other members of BTE, used residences in Pinellas County to manufacture and sell narcotics. In videos posted online, BTE members featured images of drug manufacturing and lyrics about making and selling narcotics in their videos.
On January 23, 2022, Javontah Harris, a/k/a “Gut,” possessed 224.1 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, approximately $1,843 cash, and make-shift business cards containing a phone number traced to Haugabook. Law enforcement executed search warrants at residences used by BTE to distribute narcotics, which were also featured by the group online.
In January 2022, agents located McLaurin, a/k/a “T-Dub,” at the residence and recovered over 100 grams of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, as well as firearms. In April 2022, agents located 62.7 grams of methamphetamine, 51 grams of fentanyl, 5 grams of cocaine, and two firearms at another location used by BTE to traffic narcotics. That same location was searched again in October 2022 and agents found Brown, a/k/a “Skeet,” and Haugabook as well as 70.9 grams of pure methamphetamine, over 90 grams of cocaine, and 33 grams of fentanyl analogue.
On April 18, 2023, agents executed a search warrant at another stash location used by Haugabook and located 428.9 grams of methamphetamine and 18.9 grams of cocaine. Haugabook rushed to flush narcotics down the toilet during the execution of the warrant.
McLaurin, Harris, and Brown were previously sentenced for their roles in this case. McLaurin was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison. Harris and Brown were each sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman.
Final Defendant Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy Resulting in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Harlan, Ky., woman, Leslie Brock, 59, was sentenced on February 19, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, to 250 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl which resulted in the death of another person.
According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, in January 2023 and continuing until October 2023, Brock conspired with her co-defendant, Brendan Miller, to knowingly distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl that ultimately resulted in the death of a victim. Specifically, Brock made frequent trips to a source of supply in Lexington to purchase fentanyl and then distributed the fentanyl to individuals in Harlan County, including Miller. On one occasion, Brock purchased fentanyl in Lexington, returned to Harlan and sold a portion of it to Miller, who then distributed a portion of it to a victim, who died after taking it. Brock was convicted at trial in October 2024. Miller pled guilty to his role in the fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. A third defendant, Aaron Robinson, also pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking.
Under federal law, Brock must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
In addition to Brock’s punishment, Miller was sentenced to 132 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and Robinson was sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Cedric Anderson, Auburn Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by DEA, KSP, and the Auburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Felon in Possession of Machinegun and Straw Purchaser Are SentencedRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man who illegally possessed a machinegun and a straw purchaser of firearms were sentenced today, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Keon Deangelo Steele, 20, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Steele’s girlfriend, Anna Micaiah Denise Mack, 22, also of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 24 months on probation under court supervision.
Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, between May and June 2023, Steele sold multiple firearms to undercover officers. Specifically, on July 6, 2023, Steele communicated to an undercover officer that he had two firearms and two Glock switches for sale. A Glock switch is the common name for an illegal device that coverts a conventional firearm into a machinegun. Law enforcement arrived at the meeting location and observed Steele and Mack waiting inside a vehicle. The defendants were arrested and taken into custody. Law enforcement also searched the vehicle and found a backpack that contained a Glock 42, .40 caliber pistol outfitted with a Glock switch, and an additional Glock switch.
During the investigation, law enforcement determined that, on June 13, 2023, Mack purchased two firearms, a Glock 22 and a Glock 48, from a federal firearms dealer in Gastonia. Mack completed ATF Form 4473 in connection with the firearms purchases. As Mack later admitted in court, she lied on the form, falsely representing that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms when, in fact, she was buying the firearms for Steele. Court records show that Mack straw purchased at least seven firearms for Steele within a span of a few weeks.
On June 27, 2024, Steele pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun. On April 4, 2024, Mack pleaded guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron thanked the ATF and CMPD for leading the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Boykin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reminds the public that purchasing a gun for someone who is prohibited by law from possessing one, or for someone who does not want his or her name associated with the transaction, is a “straw purchase,” a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. For more information on what you can do to ensure that you do not knowingly or unknowingly participate in a straw purchase, contact your local ATF office or call 1-800-ATF-GUNS.
Federal grand jury indicts five defendants for their roles in Jamestown drug conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –Acting U.S. Attorney Joel Louis Violanti announced today a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Andres Pizzaro Campos a/k/a Kiki, 33, Max Pizzaro Campos, 34, Cindy Frank, 52, Edward Leeper a/k/a Edward Barnes. 46, and Jaquez L. Thomas a/k/a Quez, 21, all of Jamestown, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. In addition, Andres and Max Pizzaro Campos are also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and maintaining a drug involved premises, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, consecutive to any other penalty. Cindy Frank is also charged with obstruction of justice.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Louis A. Testani, who are handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, between 2018, and May 26, 2022, the defendants conspired with Joseph S. Zaso and others, to sell heroin and fentanyl in the Jamestown area. Andre and Max Pizarro Campos are accused of utilizing a Hazzard Street residence and possessing firearms to conduct their drug trafficking activities. In addition, on July 26, 2023, Cindy Frank allegedly falsely testified, concealing her knowledge of Joseph S. Zaso's drug trafficking activities.
Joseph Zaso was previously charged and convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Federal Judge Orders Sparta Man to Pay $9,500 Fine for Killing A Bald EagleRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal judge ordered Robert Garner Gambill, 91, of Sparta, N.C., to pay a $9,500 fine and turn in his firearm for killing a bald eagle in violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (the Act), announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The Court further ordered that a portion of the fine be paid to two witnesses in the case who provided information that led to Gambill’s conviction, as required under provisions of the Act.
Douglas Ault, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement (USFWS), Southeast Region, joins Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making today’s announcement.
According to information contained in plea documents and presented at the sentencing hearing, on June 5, 2024, Gambill set his firearm on a fencepost, and aimed, shot, and killed a bald eagle that was perched in a tree near the Farmers Fish Camp Road Bridge in Sparta. Gambill killed the federally protected bird with a Ruger M77 Mark 2 22-250 rifle with an attached Nikon Monarch MR31 4x16-42 scope. After killing the bald eagle, Gambill left the scene in his vehicle, abandoning the eagle carcass on the bank of the New River. The carcass was recovered with the assistance of two individuals who witnessed the incident and was subsequently taken into the custody of the USFWS. A necropsy performed by a USFWS forensic laboratory identified injuries suffered by the bald eagle that were consistent with a gunshot wound from a high-powered rifle. On October 11, 2024, Gambill pleaded guilty to the unlawful taking of a bald eagle.
In 1940 Congress enacted the Eagle Protection Act, predecessor to today’s Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA), to protect the bald eagle from extinction. The BGEPA makes it a crime against the United States to hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, and to otherwise deal with the bald or golden eagle, or any part, nest or egg thereof, except as authorized by a valid permit issued by the U.S. Secretary of Interior.
Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the investigation of the case and thanked the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office for their substantial assistance with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
For immediate assistance with fishing or hunting violations, please contact the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission or local law enforcement. If you have information about any other wildlife crime, please follow the link https://www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips, or call 1-844-397-8477. Please do not leave reports requesting assistance for injured wildlife/birds. Learn more about what to do with injured or orphaned wildlife here.